RFI/EMI shielding of electrical conductors, cables and other components have conventionally been provided by wire overbraid, metal foils, metalized fabrics, and the like. Typical of such shielding are U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,946,143 and 4,016,356 to McLaughlin; and 3,089,915, 3,582,532 and 4,409,427 to Plummer. Commonly assigned copending application Ser. No. 670,698 filed Nov. 13, 1984, now abandoned, relates to a metalized fabric wraparound shielding product with a metalized non-conductive zipper closure. The disclosures of the above patents and application are incorporated herein by reference.
The metalized fabrics referred to in the copending application and the '427 Plummer patent are typically made by electroless plating or coating of plastic or non-conductive fibers as exemplified by U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,733,213 to Jacob; 3,877,965 to Broadbent et al.; and 4,247,596 to Yee, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference. The conductive fibers of Broadbent et al. and others have been used in very low proportions such as 0.2% by weight in various fabrics such as carpets to help prevent static electricity build up.